1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic musical instrument capable of generating musical tones in response to tone colors, accompaniment patterns and the like which are memorized in advance.
2. Prior Art
In general, the current model of an electronic musical instrument stores the musical tone control data (e.g., parameters) and performance information in the external memory unit, such as the floppy-disk unit. Its operation panel provides several kinds of switches and controls, by which the musical tone control data, determining characteristics of the musical tones, are set. In this case, one model of the electronic musical instrument transmits such data and information to another model by use of the MIDI (i.e.,Musical Instrument Digital Interface) converter and the like, for example. The above-mentioned parameters and information represent the tone colors, accompaniment patterns and the like.
In another mode of the electronic musical instrument which receives the musical tone control data and performance information, musical tone signals are created on the basis of those data and information.
Meanwhile, the same models of the electronic musical instruments can share the same musical tone control data, e.g., tone colors, tone color numbers and accompaniment patterns concerning the musical tones to be generated. In other words, "data correspondence" is established between the same models of the electronic musical instruments. Therefore, the same musical tone control data can be commonly used among the same models of the electronic musical instruments without modifying them. However, between different models of the electronic musical instruments, the above-mentioned data correspondence is not established. Thus, there is a drawback in that the conventional electronic musical instrument cannot generate musical tones on the basis of the musical tone control data transmitted from the different model of the electronic musical instrument.
Conventionally, there are provided several kinds of models of the electronic musical instruments, e.g., beginner's model, elementary model, professional model (or pro model) and the like. In these models, the upper-class models (e.g., pro model) provide a larger number of tone colors, as compared to those of the lower-class models (e.g., elementary model). In other words, the lower-class model of the electronic musical instrument merely provides some of the tone colors which are provided in the upper-class model of the electronic musical instrument.
As described above, some of the musical tone control data which are created in the upper-class model of the electronic musical instrument are not used in the lower-class model of the electronic musical instrument. Because, the musical tone control data created by the upper-class model may contain data of the tone colors which are not provided in the lower-class model. Thus, the lower-class model of the electronic musical instrument cannot generate the musical tones on the basis of such musical tone control data created by the upper-class model of the electronic musical instrument.